Is Brideshead Revisited (1981) the perfect book-to-screen adaptation?

About this episode

The episode discusses the 1981 miniseries adaptation of Brideshead Revisited and its merits as a faithful representation of the beloved Catholic novel.

Brideshead Revisited is much discussed as a beloved Catholic novel. But it is also perhaps the only instance of a great book getting a screen adaptation that is equally good - almost to the point of being interchangeable with the book. We refer, of course, to the 1981 miniseries, not the 2008 movie! James Majewski, Nathan Douglas, and Thomas Mirus discuss what makes this series such a great work of adaptation. SIGN UP for Catholic Culture's newsletter: https://www.catholicculture.org/newsletters DONATE to make this show possible! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

People in this episode

Guests: James Majewski, Nathan Douglas, Thomas Mirus

Topics covered

• book-to-screen adaptation
• Catholic literature
• film analysis
• miniseries
• Brideshead Revisited

Keywords

• Brideshead Revisited
• 1981 miniseries
• book adaptation
• Catholic novel
• film discussion

Sponsors

Catholic Culture, Catholic Culture

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Brideshead Revisited, Brideshead Revisited (1981), Brideshead Revisited (2008)

More episodes of Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast

• Bishop Erik Varden on cinema · April 9, 2026 · 55 min
• New Lives of the Popes podcast · March 18, 2026 · 6 min
• Into Great Silence (2005) w/ Manny Marquez · March 3, 2026 · 1h 19m
• Bing Crosby plays a priest in Going My Way and The Bells of St. Mary's · January 22, 2026 · 52 min
• Adoption drama: Secrets & Lies (1996) · November 24, 2025 · 1h 10m
• Revisiting Malick's A Hidden Life (2019) · November 6, 2025 · 1h 29m